Cj O’Neill

Cj’s work is currently showing in the prestigious ‘Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics’ at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto. This show has been curated by Marek Cecula and is open from May 15th to September 7th 2008. Pieces selected for the show are ‘Scherzer’ set, ‘Flower’ cut plate and ‘The Heart’ cut plate (see these products).

The exhibition explores the intersections of contemporary ceramic art, design and industrial production. It illustrates how collaboration between artists, designers and industrial manufacturers in recent years has stimulated tremendous new advances in ceramic materials, forms and styles.

The objects displayed represent some of the most innovative and exciting ceramics being produces around the world today, and include a mix of unique works of art and pieces created for mass production. More than 50 artists, designers and industrial manufacturers from 18 different countries and three continents are represented in this exhibition. Despite their diverse geographic origins, the makes of these objects share an interest in pushing the boundaries of traditional ceramic forms, functions and aesthetics. Ceramics is one of the oldest forms of material culture, but as this exhibition demonstrates, the genre is still as vital as both a medium of artistic expression and an integral component of everyday life.

I have been invited to return to Guldagergaard as artist in residence later this year which I am really looking forward to. I’ll be developing some work with local charity shops in the town – check back for updates!

Cj was also part of the ‘Slavery Now: 200 years’ show earlier this year: view the pieces on flickr.

Four new publications featuring Cj

Fragiles: porcelain, glass and ceramics, editors R. Klanten, S. Ehmann, S. Grill, published by Gestalten

Ecological Design written by Manuela Roth, published by teNeues.

Handle With Care, on sale from Design Boom.

Cj’s work is also included in the The Ceramics Design Course by Anthony Quinn – it’s a fantastic resource and is available to buy now.

I have been invited to take part in the ‘Arts Reverie Design Camp’ in Ahmedebad, India this September. I am looking forward to experiencing much about the Indian culture, developing new patterns and working with different production processes, meeting lots of interesting people and working in a very different environment. I will be writing a blog while I’m there, so check back for updates…!

The Design Camp will take place in Ahmedabad, and is set up as to facilitate an design interaction between designers from the UK and artisans, and designer makers from Gujarat/India. in Ahmedabad, India.

The Design Camp will enable a group of UK designers to work together for 3 weeks to research ideas and develop ideas/proposals for the development of a range of contemporary craft products.

The long-term ambition is that these products will be manufactured in India and marketed in both India and the UK.

As part of the london design festival designboom will curate an exhibition of contemporary ceramic wares from established and upcoming international designers.

Since their origin ceramic works have expanded the functional dimension and contemporary production engenders ornamentation, sculpture and installation. the exhibition will feature a selection of ceramic objects, which express subjects and details of everyday life, their departure from tradition, the current conflict of ecology and consumerism.

Cj’s work has been featured in a new full-colour book, Breaking the Mould: New Approaches to Ceramics, published by Black Dog Publishing. Download a pdf (190k) of the pages featuring Cj.
Alongside Cj, the book contains work and profiles of artists such as Grayson Perry, Anders Ruhwald, Richard Slee, Phoebe Cummings, Maxim Velcovsky, Marek Cecula and Emmanuel Cooper.